Google has created a special Doodle in celebration of the great dancer and choreographer Willi Ninja today. Google claims that Willi pioneered the road for black LGBTQ+ portrayal and acceptance in the 1980s and 1990s. His creation, “The Iconic House of Ninja,” is still active today. Willi was referred to as the “Godfather of Voguing,” which is a style of dance. William Roscoe Leake was his true name. The performers are current House of Ninja members Archie Burnett Ninja, Javier Madrid Ninja, Kiki Ninja, and Akiko Tokuoka, nicknamed KiT Ninja, who dance to honor Willi’s legacy. On this day in 1990, the NewFest New York LGBT Film Celebration had the US debut of the documentary Paris is Burning, which starred Willi and the renowned House of Ninja.
Willi Ninja: Background
Born in 1961, Willi Ninja spent his formative years in Flushing, Queens. Willi’s mother supported his identity and fostered his passion for dance by taking him to see ballet performances at the Apollo Theatre. Even though his mother couldn’t afford to pay for pricey dancing classes, Willi taught himself the techniques that would one day make him famous. Willi created ground-breaking new dancing styles that were influenced by martial arts and Egyptian hieroglyphs. Additionally, Willi has made international appearances in movies, music videos, and high-end runway events. Madonna and Jean-Paul Gaultier have both been influenced by his movements. Willi also played a significant role in eradicating the stigma attached to the illness by being one of the first individuals to advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention during drag balls.
Google-Doodle And Willi’s Legacy
Google released a doodle honoring Willi’s legacy that featured an animated version of the performer performing some of his signature dance movements. The disco ball in the middle of the doodle contains the play icon. A brief YouTube video depicting “The Iconic House of Ninja,” a Willi-founded community that is still going strong 17 years after his passing, can be viewed by pressing the play button. The Rob Gilliam-illustrated doodle video was edited by Xander Opiyo and has original music by Vivacious. The House of Ninja’s current members, including Archie Burnett Ninja, Javier Madrid Ninja, Kiki Ninja, and Akiko Tokuoka, also known as KiT Ninja, perform in the video as they happily commemorate Willi’s lasting influence.
LGBT Film Festival 1960
On this day in 1960, Willi was born, and in 1990, the documentary “Paris is Burning” was shown for the first time in the United States at the NewFest New York LGBT Film Festival. The movie notably featured Willi and the iconic House of Ninja, bringing his distinctive dancing technique to a larger audience and showcasing New York City’s thriving ball culture. At age 7, he began dancing. He chose the moniker Ninja since he was motivated by the martial arts. Willi self-taught the craft and became an expert in voguing, a dancing form that combines fashionable attitudes with complex motions influenced by mime and martial arts. The Harlem ballroom culture functioned as a safe haven established by black and Latino LGBTQiA+ people to express themselves and promote togetherness, and it gave rise to voguing.
Willi was a major contributor to increasing understanding and promoting acceptance of the LGBTQiA+ community throughout his career, especially within the ballroom scene. He used his extraordinary talent and platform to question social mores and promote the investigation of one’s own expression. He passed away at the age of 45 from heart failure brought on by AIDS. His contributions to voguing and ballroom culture have inspired dancers, performers, and artists all around the world long after he passed away. The House of Ninja is proud to carry on his legacy by continuing to dance in his honor.
